The former Bradford centre had been linked with a move away from the 'Cats at the start of Super League XIII, with champions Leeds Rhinos tipped to move in for the 22-year-old.

But he committed his future to the Wildcats until the end of 2011 last week, and is confident that he'll still be playing in the Super League franchise in the red, blue and white throughout his new deal.

"The future looks bright for the club regarding the franchise system," he said.

"I personally think Wakefield will tick all the right boxes when it comes down to it and hopefully we'll get a new stadium.

"The coaching staff and the squad are excellent too. Hopefully we can do what Leeds did a few years ago when they brought the likes of Danny McGuire and Ryan Bailey and a few others through together.

"We've got a really young squad and if they can keep us all together it will be a great future for us as a team and I want to be a part of that."

Atkins is back in the Wildcats squad that travels to the JJB Stadium on Friday night looking to bag a vital two points in Round 9.

The venue has fond memories for 'Cats fans who witnessed Wakefield's most successful season in Super League, reaching the semi-final of the play-offs in 2004 and taking a 14-0 lead against the Warriors before falling to defeat.

And despite an indifferent start to Super League XIII for Wakefield, Atkins believes the play-offs are a realistic target for John Kear's troops this time around.

He added: "Hopefully I can help the club reach the play-offs, which is definitely achievable and I want to be a part of that.

"I just want to play consistently and now my future until 2011 is secured I can put that to one side now and concentrate on my rugby."

For all the latest Wakefield Wildcats news, and the rest of the sporting news from around the region, see Friday's Wakefield Express Sport.